Black Nintendo Wii for Sale in North America Soon

Rumors began circulating last week about the possible North American release of a black Nintendo Wii console. Gamers have been anticipating multiple color options for the Wii since before the console was launched in late 2006. Nintendo has declined to comment on the rumors and has yet to issue a press release, despite information suggesting the black Wii console will launch in less than two weeks.

Gaming blog Kotaku received an image of GameStop's monthly promotional poster Wednesday, allegedly from a GameStop employee. The photo of the poster, visible here, announces the new black Wii and the accessories that will be sold as a bundle with it. Both Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort are visible on the poster, as is the Wii MotionPlus controller. The bundle is reportedly being released May 9^th, and will sell at the Wii's regular price of $199.

Gamers have been clamoring for multicolored Wiis since before the console's 2006 launch. Some of the earliest photos of what Nintendo's seventh-generation console would look like included mockups of Wiis in several colors - not just black and white, but also in bright shades like pink and green. The black Wii console has been available for sale in the UK and Japan since 2009, but none of the other colors have surfaced as yet.

Release of a second Wii console color option seems almost like an afterthought at this stage, considering the Wii will celebrate its 4^th birthday this November. Perhaps this is Nintendo's way of trying to get customers to purchase a second Wii console sure to better match their television and other electronic equipment.

The release of the black Nintendo Wii may also be a sign that supply is finally catching up with demand. The Wii has consistently outsold its seventh-gen competitors, the PS3 and Xbox 360. Wii's innovative remote, pioneering social gaming elements, and special "it's not really a video game" offerings like Wii Fit drew in a whole new crowd of customers in the form of traditiional non-gamers. The Wii was also priced lower than its competitors, though the Xbox 360 has since dropped its price point to match. Stores couldn't keep Wii consoles in stock, typically only getting 1-2 a week and maintaining a waiting list in some cases. Back in 2007, Kotaku reported that North American Nintendo reps have always planned to introduce the Wii in black here, but had no plans of doing so until supply issues were resolved.

Some are puzzled at Nintendo's seeming "ninja launch" tactic for the Wii. The truth is, Nintendo don't have to spend a dime advertising this product. It's been what Wii players have wanted for years, even without the value addition of the bundled items at no higher cost. Wii early adopters will be ready to replace their standard white console for the shiny new one, and latecomers to the current console generation will be ready to go out and buy the new big thing.

Despite the Wii's advancing age, the seventh-gen consoles are almost guaranteed a few more years in the market. Don't be surprised if the new Wii incites another feeding frenzy. If you want to get your hands on one of the first batch, check at your local electronics retailer to see if a hush-hush midnight release is planned or stop in on May 9^th.

Sources:

"Black Wii Bundle Shows Up In GameStop Marketing." Kotaku.

Jeff Bakalar. "Black Wii coming; all signs point to May." Crave - Cnet.

"Japan Getting New Wii Colors In 2008? Nope!" Kotaku.

"Nintendo Selling Black Wii in Japan This Summer." Kotaku.

"Rumor: Black Wii Comes To North America In May." Kotaku.

"Wii." Wikipedia.